Partners in Revolution
by Sesshomarusama3
Summary: The Revolutionary Army wasn't at all prepared for a wild kid like Sabo, but really, the boy was born to be a rebel. A series of short stories about our favorite revolutionaries, the antics of Sabo, and the exasperation of Koala and Hack and pretty much everybody else (they all love him, though, really.)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N~ Hello! Taking a quick break from 'take me to sea' to bring you some Revolutionaries! I love Sabo and Hack and Koala too much to not write a series of one shots all about them and their antics, and the fact that there are so little fics out there about them is a crime! I originally thought about putting this into the Of Strawhats and Things fic, but I decided this needed its ow thing.  
**

 **So here you go! These will vary in length and updates will be sporadic, but I hope you enjoy them!**

 **I OWN NOTHING.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Part 1**

At first, like the majority of them at their base at Baltigo, Koala doesn't quite know what to make of their newest recruit.

His name is Sabo, or so he thinks _–_ the poor kid is an amnesiac of all things, and Koala thought _she_ had problems – and is about a year or two her junior, making him the youngest in the army thus far (something that she will lord over him until the end of time because she can).

With the way he dresses – clad in a top hat that's seen better days with blue tinted goggles sitting nicely around the base, a black shirt, blue shorts with a deeper blue tailcoat and frilled white cravat to complete the look – one might assume he's of some noble background, something Dragon had mentioned when they'd first found him. Said articles of clothing are torn or have holes in places, stained with dirt or blood. Whether that blood is his own or not remains to be seen.

That being said, Koala finds it incredibly hard to believe someone like Sabo could've ever been a noble, regardless of his lost memories. He knows how to fight, for one, and fight _well,_ while nobility would never dare get their gloves dirty. He's incredibly agile and strong for someone his age, too, lifting midsized boulders on his back and climbing up rock faces like nobody's business. He's a cheeky bugger, too, always getting into a scrape or involved in some devious deed, most which, somehow, almost always involve embarrassing someone, mostly Hack, because his reactions are by _far_ the funniest, like that time Sabo slipped his belt off and Hack's pants had fallen during a sparring match, in front of _everyone_.

In hindsight, that was absolutely _hilarious._

No one like Sabo could be a noble, that's for sure.

("Sometimes I can't help but think this brat," Hack will say to her a few nights later, the two of them going over training exercises and schedules whilst Sabo drools on the table, dead to the world, "was _born_ to be a rebel. Still wondering if that's really a good thing.")

He hasn't managed to pull anything over on Koala just yet though, and she'd like to keep it that way. Then again, that's only because neither of them has yet to get around to actually getting to know each other.

Hell, they've barely said two words to each other, and he's been with them for about three months.

But it's no big deal, Koala thinks as she returns her focus to the book she's reading, elbows perched on the library table. It's not like there aren't a billion other things they have to do, running a revolution and all.

Besides that, there's at least a handful of kids their age that are all quite friendly with Sabo, and with the way he is – a ten-year-old who'd woken up in the middle of nowhere, no memory of who he was before he'd attained the scars marring at least half of his body – he needs all the friends and support he can get.

 _Still,_ she muses, _I wouldn't mind getting to know him. Cheekiness aside, he seems nice enough –_

"Hey! You're Koala, right?"

Koala's head jerks up in surprise from where her nose has been almost buried into the history book – it's a good read, too, which sucks because she'd let her mind wander and now she'll have to read the whole passage again _raaaagh_ – to find the very blond standing beside her, a wide, friendly smile plastered across his naturally tanned features. A book sits in the crook of one arm, the title reading 'Navigation for Something-Or-Other' that Koala can't quite make out, and he tips his hat to her with the other hand in greeting.

"I don't think we've officially met. I'm Sabo, but I guess you might've heard of me already. I saw you sitting over here and I was wondering what you were reading, soooo…" He tilts his head to the side all innocent like, trying the read the title of her book along the spine. The action reminds Koala of a curious golden retriever puppy and it's oddly adorable. "What'cha reading?"

Koala blinks at him, looks down at the book in her hands, looks back up at the expectant blond beside her. She sees nothing especially devious this time around in his gap-toothed smile or his cerulean blue eyes – blue _eye,_ she corrects, the other one is a murky white due to the explosion that scarred his body and had almost taken his sight.

So she offers him a smile in return. "Just some history on Fishman Island," she replies, "Hack recommended it, it's a pretty good read."

"Well duh," Sabo grins as he pulls up a chair to sit beside her, setting his book on the table. "It's _Fishman Island,_ an actual island _under water._ What's not interesting about that?"

Koala grins back. "True enough. You'd think Sky Islands would be the weirdest thing but nope. The New World is a freakin' weird place, lemme tell you. Amazing, but weird."

Sabo laughs. "You're tellin' me."

"Wanna take a look? I don't mind sharing." She gestures the book in her hands.

The eager smile she receives is more than answer enough, and he shuffles closer so that they're shoulder to shoulder, eyes bright and alive with a curiosity and wonder that mirror her own.

Maybe, Koala thinks as she casts a glance over at the younger boy and smiling to herself, she'll come to really like Sabo.

* * *

She finds her small items encased in jello the next morning.

It doesn't take her long to find the culprit and put her few months of Fishman Karate training to good use on the blond idiot as he begs for mercy through a laughing fit.

Hack is standing nearby along with a cluster of Karate students hiding behind him, shaking his head whilst trying to hide a smirk. Iva is outright laughing at them both. Dragon watches on from the edge of the training grounds, expressionless, but humor glimmers in his dark eyes.

Despite all this, though, Koala finds that still likes Sabo. And as they grow and learn and fight together, she'll no doubt grow to depend on him, and learn to love him in her own way. No doubt he'll do the same for her, because in this wretched world full of slavers, injustices and horror ruled by the Celestial Dragons, they'll need each other.

They'll be partners in crime for sure…no, partners in _revolution_.

But for now, they'll tussle like lion cubs in the dirt, one yowling for mercy and the other having none of it as she digs her fist into his hair.

Yeah, Koala likes Sabo. But she also likes to hit him.

* * *

 **A/N~ Ah ye, the start of a beautiful, brutal friendship XD**

 **Reviews are writer chow :3**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N~ In which I realize I have no idea how to write Dragon XD  
**

 **This one's a little longer, WARNING FOR INTERROGATION AND BLOOD.**

 **Hope you enjoy! I OWN NOTHING.**

* * *

 **Part 2**

"I'll be assigning partners for your mission, Sabo."

The fourteen-year-old in question blinks at his mentor and leader from where he stands on the other side of the desk, and he tilts his head, a habit he's picked up from somewhere. "Sir?"

Dragon looks _almost_ amused at Sabo's perplexity as he absently shuffles through the paperwork Bunny Joe left him. "This is your first mission out on the field. Though it's not particularly dangerous being a simple surveillance operation, and I trust in your strength and your strategic mind, there's no harm in having someone there should things decide to go awry. As the saying goes, 'two heads are better than one'."

Sabo just looks at him. "Sooooooo you're giving me a partner because you know I'll get in trouble, because it's _me_ we're talking about," he says flatly. Dragon looks up at him over the notes. Sabo's lips flatten to a thin line. "You're giving me a babysitter."

This time Dragon _does_ smirk as he puts the papers down on his desk. "Not quite, but good guess," he says. And then he leans forward, elbows on the table and fingers laced under his chin as he gazes at Sabo intently, all traces of amusement gone. He looks every bit like the leader they know him to be; the most wanted man in the world, and Sabo can only stand there and try not to twitch under his scrutiny.

"I was serious about what I said, kid. You've grown a lot since we found you, and you continue to grow stronger every day. It's about time you and a handful of your peers showed us what you're truly made of," he says.

Sabo's speechless and incredibly humbled, fighting the urge to squirm and blush under such praise. But Dragon's not done.

"However, you're still young, and I'd rather avoid losing such a valued member of our organization on their first mission. Hence why I'm assigning you a partner, maybe two, as an extra precaution. Don't think I'm coddling you, kid."

Unable to really argue with any of that, Sabo stares at Dragon a moment longer before he shrugs and concedes. "Sir," he says, nodding once. Dragon nods back, satisfied as he leans back in his chair.

Ah well, he can't really complain. It's his first mission, so he gets why their illustrious leader wants him to buddy up with someone else without admitting he's worried. It's kind of…nice, he supposes? To have someone worried for him even if his manner of showing it isn't all that obvious. He wonders why that warms him so much, why it feels _foreign_ in a way it shouldn't be…

He quickly shakes the thoughts away. It doesn't matter right now. He's got a mission to focus on, his _first_ mission on the field. It's exciting as it is nerve-wracking. He _does_ wonder who his partner is, though –

"For now, I'm assigning you with Koala and Hack," Dragon says, and Sabo does a double take.

Dragon smirks again and continues as if hasn't noticed the cold sweat breaking out along Sabo's brow, "I know how well the three of you get along so there should be no issues. You leave tomorrow, so go and get some rest, kid. You'll need it."

Sabo gulps hard, quickly thinks of every single thing he's done in the last four years to either annoy, embarrass or inadvertently get Hack and Koala into trouble, and he fears for his manhood.

Koala is gonna cut his balls off.

* * *

 _"Hey, you two! The hell d'you think you're doing here?!"_

 _"Ah dammit, they spotted us!"_

 _"And who's fault is_ _ **that**_ _I wonder, Mr. I'm Totally Not Allergic to Bird Feathers?!"_

 _"Oh shut up! You go on ahead, I'll distract them while you contact Hack and tell him our location – oh god are they_ shooting _at us?!"_

 _"Wait, what – no, you idiot, you'll get caught –DUCK!"_

 _"OH JEEZ! Just get to the weapons, they're more important! If they leave the port we'll never find them again!"_

 _"I'm not leaving you –"_

 _"_ _ **Please,**_ _I don't want you to get hurt! Just go, I'll be okay!"_

 _"…"_

 _"GO!"_

 _"I swear to god, Sabo, you'd better meet me there or I really will cut your balls off."_

 _"I don't doubt that for a second, but seriously, go! HEY, BALDY MC ASS-FACE! OVER HERE!"_

 _"HEY, STOP THAT BLOND KID!"_

* * *

Of _course_ he'd screw up on his first mission, but that's fine, because who wouldn't, right?

What _isn't_ fine is that he's gone and gotten himself caught during a _surveillance_ mission, and now he's tied to a chair in a dank old warehouse, their target's bodyguards punching and kicking and slapping him left and right for answers he's not about to give, while the shady guy stands back and watches everything with his nose turned up and a scathing frown on his unfortunately disgusting features.

Yeah, that, that right there sucks pretty hard.

He's bleeding and dizzy, and his wrists are aching and burning where the ropes dig unforgivably into bare flesh, and Sabo grins up at them with bloody teeth and the beginnings of a black eye. " _Wow_ …you guys must be…be _pretty_ desperate, t'beat onna kid like this," he says through pants of pain and exhaustion, still beaming through the blood and effectively irking his captors and freaking them out simultaneously. It's hilarious as it is satisfying.

But there's something familiar about this, he thinks, something about being trussed up and beaten and bleeding and interrogation that rings a bell, an annoying one, because he surely would've remembered something like this, or at least had the scars to prove it.

Unless…

 _Getting beat up hurts, but being lonely hurts more!_

Sabo stiffens, and suddenly the voices around him tune out to white noise, apart from that one that echoes in his ears…

 _Getting beat up hurts, but being lonely hurts more!_

That voice isn't his. It belongs to someone else, someone with a smile wider than the seas and brighter than the brightest star, to innocence and dreams and a shout to the heavens of kings and pirates and _freedom_.

 _Who the hell –?_

There's a name on the tip of his tongue. A pull of _something_ at the fringes of his mind, and all he has to do is reach out and grab it –

But his focus redirects, the inkling feeling lost as the douche-bag scoffs loudly, and the real world comes back into focus.

"This is getting tiresome," the man growls from behind the safety of his men, and with a lazy flick of his wrist he drones, "he's clearly not going to spill his guts any time soon. Dispose of him."

 _Okay, that's a problem._

Sabo gulps, wincing at the sickly taste of blood, as the two men in black suits turn back to glower at him, one of them brandishing a gun from his waistcoat. This has gotta be without a doubt the _lamest_ way to go on your first mission –

 _"Hundred Brick Fist!"_

And suddenly both men are blown right off their feet, shouting in surprise as they slam into the wall on Sabo's far right. The young blond and the shady guy watch, mouths gaping, as the goons slide down the wall and drop to the floor in a heap, groaning. They don't get up again.

It takes Sabo about half a second to realize that he's saved, and then another to realize he's so unbelievably screwed as Koala jumps through the hole in the wall she made and lands in front of him in a crouch, separating him from the fuming prick. She slowly rises, her back facing Sabo. He can only imagine what her face looks like as the man backs up a step and _pales._

She's tall for her age, but still small and young compared to the adult she's facing; for a grown man to fear the wrath of a _teenager,_ she must be exerting some serious killing intent…

"You okay?" Koala asks him without taking her eyes off their target, and now Sabo doesn't _need_ to see her face to know she's _mad as hell._ He can hear it in her resonance of her voice, the ice in her tone. Whether it's directed at him or the quaking man, he isn't quite sure.

He nods at her query, realizes she can't see him, cusses himself out, and finally stutters, "Y-Yeah, yeah, I'm good. I'll be a-alright…how did you –?"

"Tell you later. It involves a lot of hair-tearing and curse words that I've never heard from a Fishman before, in case you're wondering." She spreads her feet and pulls back her fist, readying a punch, ignoring the man's whimpering pleas for mercy. "Hack's on his way over, I got a head start. You take it easy, I'll cut you loose in a sec. Oh, and by the way…"

Koala turns a fraction, enough so that Sabo can see her smirk. It's not condescending nor is it teasing, like she'd expected him to fail and is taking immense pleasure in being right (Sabo wonders why she ever would, why that sort of reaction is familiar to him when nothing else has been for the last four years).

"Not bad for our first mission," she says, "eh, partner?"

Sabo gapes at her again, the sound of her punch sending the shady guy flying nothing but a dull din in his ears compared to her words playing on repeat in his head like a broken record. For a moment, he can only stare at her back, unable to fathom _why_ she'd praised him when all he'd done was mess things up and get himself captured –

He has a fraction of a second to recall exactly _how_ he'd gotten caught, why he'd let them take him instead of her, and when his wounds finally get the better of him, he blacks out with a soft smile.

 _Yeah. Not bad, I guess._

* * *

Dragon is the first in the infirmary to see Sabo once he's lucid.

He's got three broken ribs, a twisted ankle, a black eye and a good old-fashioned concussion. That's not even including the bruises he accumulated during the interrogation.

In short, he's a blond blueberry.

From what he'd learned after asking the nurse, the mission was a success. Though Sabo and Koala's only objective had been surveillance and reporting back to the more experienced soldiers, they'd actually managed to apprehend the smugglers _and_ the cargo.

After Sabo had blacked out, Hack had arrived and carried him out of the warehouse while Koala dropped the unconscious (and severely beaten) douche-bag off at the nearest Marine post, a note written 'ARREST ME' stuck to his bloody face.

Now, in the whitewashed walls of the infirmary, Sabo looks up at the man standing over him, silent and stoic as always. He expects yelling. Well, not actual _yelling_ because damn if Dragon ever actually raises his voice in anger to anyone like that, but he'll without a doubt be angry anyways, probably ban Sabo from going out on missions ever again because he'd gotten caught, could've jeopardized the whole operation –

"Good work, kid."

 _What._

Sabo stares at him from the bed, the eye that isn't swollen shut widening in shock. "…bugh?" he mutters stupidly.

Dragon snorts something of a laugh and folds his arms. "Your partners told me everything," he explains. "Koala told me how you willingly gave yourself up as a distraction, allowing her to escape and contact Hack and the others. I won't lie, though; what you did was foolish, reckless, and you could've been killed. But it was because of your quick thinking, your selflessness, and Koala and Hack's cool heads – for the most part – that ultimately saved the mission, and your life. For that, I congratulate you, Sabo."

Sabo continues to stare.

"…I…I don't," he stammers, trying his damn hardest to ignore the heat spreading across his face and the frog doing leaps in his throat. "…thanks?"

Dragon _almost_ smiles, turning his back on the flustered blond with a swish of his cloak, all dramatic-like and cool. "Don't thank me. Thank your partners," he says. "Speaking of which, Koala will be here any minute to give you what I can only assume is an earful."

The flush fades as Sabo blinks, sitting up with only minor difficulty. "An…an earful? Why, is she mad?"

Dragon shrugs, already halfway out the door. "Hard to tell. Young women at this age are unpredictable. But I would highly suggest you protect your face. I hear she has a bad habit of pinching people's cheeks and stretching them like rubber."

With those haunting words, Dragon shuts the door behind him, leaving Sabo to quiver under the bed sheets.

When Koala finally _does_ appear, Sabo has to fight the urge to cross his legs and protect his manhood as she shuts the door behind her and stalks to his bedside, her favorite newsboy cap shadowing her eyes from view as she pulls up a chair and sits down on his right. Her hands are fisted on her lap, her shoulders hunched.

Sabo tilts his head to try and meet her eyes, waiting for her to say something already because the silence so far is almost as bad as her screaming.

When she finally lifts her head, there's a frown on her face and _tears_ in her eyes, and _oh hell no forever and ever that's_ _ **so**_ _much worse than her screaming –_

"You…you freakin' worried me you damn _idiot!"_ she cries, pounding her fists on Sabo's lap like he a drum and not currently bedridden and injured. It doesn't hurt, not really, but he's gonna bitch about it anyways because he's had long few days.

She sniffs loudly, looking up to meet his baffled face (because he'd expected to catch hands, not…whatever _this_ is) with a frown deep enough to dig a grave…or his, Sabo thinks and shivers slightly. He flinches involuntarily when she reaches for him, but all she does is grab him by the front of his shirt and shake him once, making him wince.

"Why did you even do that?" she growls through grinding teeth, and _now_ she's pissed, Sabo realizes with no shortage of fear. "We – we should've just ran away! No one would've blamed us, not on our first mission. We could've regrouped, explained everything to Hack and the others and –"

"And lose the cargo, botching the whole mission," Sabo interjects, fear forgotten, and Koala shuts the hell up to look at him, at the shape of his own frown and the stubborn gleam in his eye (the other still sore and black and bruised from the blow that had put him under after the goose chase through the streets).

He reaches up where Koala's hands clench the fabric of his shirt, laying his hand over hers and holding it tight as he can without putting any more strain on his wrist, though he never takes his eyes off hers. "It was my fault they spotted us in the first place," he says, "so it was only right that I fixed the mess, and made sure you got away safe and finished the job. Besides that…"

Sabo offers her a smile, free of any cheek, mischief or regret, even though it makes the bruises sting like nothing else. "You're my partner. I'm supposed to have your back. And I know you'll have mine whenever I need you. Right?"

Koala's free hand slips off his chest as she stares at him, her mouth slightly agape. Sabo stares back, holds his smile and her hand a little tighter, letting her know he meant every word.

He'd messed up their first mission together. He'd almost gotten her caught, or killed, and he'd been more than willing to take her place and suffer, even if it meant that he died without ever really making a difference in the world, without ever remembering who he'd once been, who the voice ringing in his ears had belonged to that spoke of kings and freedom…

He'd done what a good partner should – what a good _friend_ would. He had her back.

And then, when she'd had no reason to, not really, she proved to him that he had _his_ back, too.

The silence between them seems to stretch for an eternity and a half before Koala finally cracks a smile of her own, and she lightly punches his shoulder with her free hand. "Idiot," she chides without heat.

Sabo takes the jab, both of them, and beams at his partner. "Moron."

* * *

 **A/N ~ Yee!  
**

 **Side note: though I DO ship them romantically, I decided not to make them romantically involved for this story, focusing more on the fact that they're practically raised together, like brother and sister almost with a whole lotta violence XD**

 **Any requests you have, send 'em my way!**

 **Reviews are writer chow :3**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N~ I'M ALIVE!  
**

 **Sorry I haven't been as active, especially with my many _other_ stories that need finishing, but things have been hectic, I'm moving soon, and family life is crazy. Also, I've switched my work hours to part time, so I'll have more time to do other things!**

 **For ow, have something I've had saved in my draft for months. I like how it came out, but I'd love to hear your thoughts, too!**

 **I OWN NOTHING.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Part 3**

Koala finds out a few weeks after he turns sixteen.

She's walking leisurely through the hallways, humming a little tune under her breath as she sifts through sheets of data Dragon has asked her get to Sabo (with an added "Make sure he actually completes them _all_ this time," which Koala both understands and finds freaking hilarious, because there aren't many who can exasperate their leader like Sabo does, except maybe Iva).

There aren't many sheets to go through this time, she admits, as she flicks through them one more time, nearing Sabo's quarters; and she probably won't even need to pester him to get it done. No doubt the other teen must be desperate to do something, use up that last bit of adrenaline from their earlier mission – one that had been not only successful (another day, another corrupt deal overturned, and another ass severely kicked), but held no causalities. At least, not on their side.

Though Sabo did sustain a few injuries – minor in nature, but still, it's something that hasn't happened as often since their first mission together.

When asked by the head nurse how he'd managed to get yet _another_ concussion followed by several bruises where he'd been kicked in the gut by a very dedicated Navy thug, the teen had sort of shrugged, muttering something about 'distraction', 'weird things bugging his brain'.

The last time that happened, it had something to do with his past. Fragments of little memories flashing before his eyes, sometimes unprovoked.

Unfortunately, he couldn't quite remember what it was he's remembered, and isn't that a funny little paradox?

But since then, nothing much has changed in him; he's still annoying, still thrumming with energy and the need to get something _done_ (that hopefully doesn't involve anything – bones or otherwise – getting broken) and with Koala and Hack once again left to deal with the blond whirlwind.

She's about to knock on the door to his quarters, and stops dead in her tracks, fist raised, eyes wide. Brows furrowing, she presses her ear against the door.

The faint sound of singing floats through the wood.

 _Singing?_

Baffled, Koala quietly pries the door open and peers through, careful not to alert the occupant of the room, and it takes every ounce of her training to keep her from gasping out loud.

Sabo is leaning at the windowsill, mismatched eyes gazing out into the twilight sky, still wearing the bandages and shining bruises, and he's singing.

Sabo is singing.

 _Sabo._ One of the top dogs of the Revolutionary Army and a favored candidate for the position of Dragon's right hand (despite his untameable nature). Is _singing._

 _"How very special are we, for just a moment to be, part of life's eternal rhyme._

 _How very special are we, to have on our family tree, mother earth and father time."_

And he's _good._ Like, _really_ good _._

 _Holy crap._

 _"He turns the seasons around, and so she changes her gown._

 _But they always look in their prime._

 _They go on dancing their dance of everlasting romance._

 _Mother earth and father time~"_

Granted, his voice is soft, barely carrying across the modest room, but it's soothing, like a lullaby, and confident, the words clear and warm from the heart. Koala is transfixed, frozen where she stands with her head poking through the door, eyes wider than the world. A part of her wants to stay here and listen to him, like this, forever.

 _"The summer larks return to sing._

 _Oh, what a gift they give._

 _The autumn days grow short and cold._

 _Oh, what a joy to live~"_

Absently, Koala wonders why he hasn't noticed her, how he hasn't felt her presence – he's already mastered Observation Haki, and is on his way to mastering Armament, too, the _bastard_ – but she's not about to complain. She smiles, even as his song eventually ends.

 _"How very special are we, for just a moment to be, part of life's eternal rhyme._

 _How very special are we, to have on our family tree, mother earth and father time~."_

He falls silent, eyes trained on the darkening skies through the window, and Koala feels tears sting her eyes.

That was...beautiful. It's not a word she ever thought she would associate with _Sabo_ of all people (natural good looks notwithstanding), but it's true. She's never heard that song before, never heard her reckless and slightly crazy idiot of a partner _sing_ before, and –

"Nice song, isn't it?"

 _And oh holy crap forever._

Koala freezes in the doorway like a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar, almost dropping the papers in her arms. Of _course_ he knew she was standing in the doorway the whole time. He just wanted to screw with her again. The jerk.

"Uh, yeah, it-it is," she eventually stammers, stepping through the door proper and entering the room to approach her partner. Her partner, who hasn't yet moved to look at her. Her partner, who's hands are clenched where he grips the windowsill.

Her partner, who's shoulders are shaking.

Koala stops, embarrassed and guilty blush fading as she stares at Sabo's back. Something's wrong, she thinks, and sets the papers on his desk for later. She approaches him slowly, a hand reaching for his shoulder and a query on the tip of her tongue, but she stops short.

"Sabo?"

From this angle, she can see part of his face, can see his forced smile as he stares into the inky black oblivion of the sea and stars. She can also see something suspiciously damp trailing down his cheek, and she stiffens, stifles a gasp.

 _Why is he crying?_

"I remembered," he says, and his voice catches and croaks with something he fights to restrain through the stubborn smile. "During the mission. I…I heard it once, a long time ago. I…I think I used to sing it to someone, to help them sleep after a bad nightmare. They said it was nice...called my voice pretty," he choked on a laugh that sounded fond yet so sad. "And when they smiled at me...it was like the sun shining through the clouds. I remembered their smile, and that song…that's why…"

 _That's why he was so distracted,_ Koala realizes. Something had triggered a small but important memory, leaving him disorientated, confused for the rest of the day. But what would trigger a lullaby –?

 _Oh. Wait._

She recalls the street nearby the underground hideout the deal was going on, hidden underneath a jewellery shop. A mother was trying to calm her baby down outside the shop, cradling it close and singing under her breath. Sabo had paused mid-step, watching the mother from the corner of his eye for a moment before shaking himself and moving in with Koala at her urging.

 _That must've…_

His breath hitches.

Koala watches as Sabo's smile falls like a house of cards. He ducks his head down, hair falling over his eyes, shoulders shaking harder, teeth grinding. Tears fall faster down his bruised, scarred face, and he lifts one trembling hand to cover his mouth, muffling his tearful gasps.

"I…I don't remember them," he says, muffled behind his hand. "I don't remember their faces, o-or their names or voices…I remember the damn song, but I can't remember _them. Why?"_

Koala's heart clenches and sinks in the depths of her chest.

Sabo's amnesia has either been a touchy subject or the butt of a good-natured joke. He's never shown to have that much of a problem concerning his lost memories…at least not in their presence. But whatever this was, it obviously meant a lot to him even if he couldn't properly remember _why._

It's not hard to imagine how something as simple and pure as a childhood lullaby could mean so much. Nor is it hard to imagine how painful it must feel to have _forgotten._

Koala closes the distance between them in two steps and wraps her arms around Sabo's waist from behind. He jolts a little in surprise, so she holds him tighter, her head against his back, eyes slipping shut as she listens to his heartbeat.

She doesn't ask him if he's alright, because the answer is obvious. She doesn't ask for details, doesn't apologize for eavesdropping, doesn't say everything will be okay because no one knew how long it will be until he regains his memories (if ever). She doesn't do any of that, because she knows he doesn't need that. He doesn't need words. All Sabo needs right now is her, here, with him. He needs his partner.

(His best friend.)

So Koala simply holds him, lets him cry silently as they stand by the open window, chilling caresses of wind sweeping through the curtains and their hair.

(Anyone else might've shied away or become a mess of jelly and bashful nonsense from this casual display of affection, or cooed and teased; at this age, certain 'feelings' are expected, encouraged even.

They've been together too long, seen too much of the best and worst of each other, to even care.)

Only when she's sure that he's used up all his tears does she speak again, lifting her head to look at the back of his without pulling away – "When were you gonna tell me you could sing, by the way?" she asks.

It takes a moment for the question to sink in, and when it does, Sabo chuckles, one hand reaching down to clasp the one she has around his waist in silent gratitude; what for, well, Koala has a few ideas. "Never," he says.

She hides a grin against his spine then, "You know how much Hack likes musicals. You could perform few for him and the guys some time -"

"Koala -"

"I bet Dragon would _love_ to -"

"I swear I'll deck your ass if you carry on -"

"Oh please, I can deck you any day -"

"Is that a challenge?"

"Considering it's _you_ , it really won't be. For me."

" _Ohohoho_ that's it -"

The sounds of two of the Revolutionary Army's top dogs chasing each other through the halls and then beating the hell out of each other resound from the training grounds outside late in the night. No one really complains; they get a good show out of it, at least.

And though no paperwork gets done, at least they've burned off their remaining energy by the time they get back to Sabo's room, limping and nursing new scrapes and bruises and sharing dumb grins even as they get resigned/fond looks from their older colleagues.

Koala doesn't bother making the trek to her room; she flops into bed with an equally exhausted Sabo like a sack of potatoes, groaning. Sabo doesn't bitch or moan at her for taking up half the bed; just throws an arm over her and groans just as miserably into his pillow.

(Maybe they'd gone a _little_ too far beating each other senseless so late at night.

Well, as long as Sabo is happy, Koala doesn't mind, not much. She never wants to see that anguish on his face again, if she can help it.)

They lay there in silence, neither really able to go to sleep despite the exhaustion deep in their aching bones. Sabo shifts, trying to get comfy, and Koala stares at the ceiling, debating if the idea creeping into her thoughts is a good one or not. She decides to take the leap –

"Sing it again?" she asks softly.

She feels Sabo twitch, just a little. "Sing what?"

"That lullaby. The one about time and earth. Might help, I dunno."

He's silent for a moment longer, and Koala wonders if maybe she's brought back those awful, _missing_ feelings she'd literally wrestled out of him for the better part of an hour. But then his body shakes with a soft snicker, and the arm draped over her shoulder tightens just a little; she still doesn't look at him, her cheeks a shade a pink she'd rather not let him see, but she can hear the smile in his voice – "You like my singing?" he asks, teasing but still somehow managing to sound genuine.

So she shrugs – wincing at the pull of another bruise, a lucky hit – hiding the relief behind a sigh "…yeah, sure," she admits, and he chuckles again so she smacks his arm, eliciting a pathetic whine from the blond teen. "Just sing it. I wanna sleep."

"But what about –" he cuts off with a long, wide yawn that cracks his jaw, "– me?"

"You could fall asleep on a rock easier. Sing or I'll pinch you."

He puts on a sigh, but settles. Koala closes her eyes, smiling softly as her partners soft voice fills the darkened room.

 _"How very special are we, for just a moment to be, part of life's eternal rhyme ~"_

She'll never tell him, but his voice is the most soothing thing she's heard since her mother. Since Fisher Tiger…

She's almost jealous of whoever had the chance to hear Sabo sing in his past. And they were right; his voice _is_ pretty. And it leaves her something to tease him over relentlessly for a few good years.

But for now, she lets herself drift to the childhood lullaby of a past long forgotten, but not really.

 _"How very special are we, to have on our family tree, mother earth and father time ~"_

* * *

 **A/N~ YES! Sabo can sing (fun fact; both of Sabo's VA's, Japanese and English dub, can sing like gods :3)**

 **The song I used was from one of my favorite movies from my childhood Charlotte's Web. It makes me cry thinking about it :'( And i headcannon that Sabo would probably sing to Luffy, being the baby of the trio, and Ace would pretend to be asleep the whole time. I just love these boys, okay?!**

 **I hope you like it, and more are on the way...eventually XD**

 **Reviews are writer chow :3**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N~ Decided to post this one, too, because - well, I gotta XD**

 **Thank y'all so much for the reviews on the last chapter, made me blush!**

 **I OWN NOTHING. WARNING FOR BLOOD AND FOUL LANGUAGE.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Part 4**

When Koala regains consciousness, it's to be met with a blinding headache that makes her consider going back under just to relieve the pain.

There's a cold press of stone against her cheek where she's sprawled on the ground, blood pooling from a gash along her temple. Her ears stop ringing, and she can faintly hear the sound of pained grunts of effort above her…

 _Wait..._

She blinks once, twice, and then groans through the haze of pain and drying blood as she tries to sit up, regretting it, but persevering. Her vision clears, and she's surrounded by stone fragments of varying size and thickness, encased within it like a prison. Dust drifts from something overhead like snowflakes, and she coughs raggedly into her trembling fist.

What the hell –?

"K-Koala?! Are you alright?!"

Koala blinks again, and then gasps in horror as her memory returns, hitting her harder than the falling slab of concrete had against her head.

 _The factory._

 _The guy going crazy and blasting the whole building._

 _The ceiling collapsing._

 _Sabo screaming her name -_

 ** _Oh god._**

Painful as it is, Koala sits up as best as she can, whipping her head up to find Sabo, her partner and friend, standing over her prone form, holding up what has to be a goddamn _support beam_ with his bare hands.

It creaks and groans where it presses down mercilessly on the seventeen-year-old. The boy in question is missing his hat, beaten all over and bloody from the fight and the collapse following, clothes torn and covered in soot and plaster and blood, though it's not clear if it's all his. Sweat gathers at his forehead and drips down his face, his eyes squeezed shut and his teeth grinding, arms trembling as he fights against the weight of the metal beam that would've crushed them –

Koala stares up at her partner and _pales._

 _Sabo..._

 _"K-Koala!"_ Sabo manages to grunt through gritted teeth, and it takes her a moment to remember that she hasn't answered him.

She shakes herself and nods. "Y-yeah, yeah, I'm alright," she says. "What about you? You're a bloody mess, what – what happened?!"

Sabo grunts again. "C-Ceiling...explosion…" the beam shifts, and he bites back a whimper of pain. "Dug out...shifted too much...t-the beam almost..."

 _He'd been buried under the wreckage,_ Koala realizes with a jolt that leaves her breathless, _he'd dug himself out, looking like he'd crawled right out of Impel Down, to look for me. And the beam -_

Cold, crippling fear and awe seizes her heart with razor-like talons.

He'd caught it.

The beam had fallen, taking with it hundreds of pounds worth of metal and stone, nearly crushing her, and he'd freaking **_caught_** it.

That's...incredible, to put it simply. For a boy his age to be as strong as he is - as _injured_ as he is - to withstand so much weight and pressure for…for…

"Sabo...how long have you been standing there?" she asks slowly, already dreading his answer.

And sure enough – "...about...an hour, I-I think," he rasps, and Koala wants to scream.

 _An hour._

He's been standing like that, with a pillar on his back, for an **_hour._**

He's strong, she knows now more than ever, but he's still young, younger than her, and still in training. Haki or no, no one, much less a teenager, could've held on as long as Sabo already has, except Kuma or Dragon, probably. And even in the shrouding darkness she can see how he's slipping, losing his strength, losing his grip and, by the cloudy look in his eyes, losing consciousness.

And he'd done it for _her._

 _You freaking idiot._

The beam shifts again, and this time Sabo can't swallow the cry that rips from his throat as his knees buckle. Koala curses furiously as she surges to her feet – concussion be _thrice_ damned – and slams her palms on the beam, shifting her stance wide so she's balanced.

 _Holy god this is heavy._

It's heavy, but she bears, it because he already has for an hour.

He's strong, but so is she.

She manages to take some of the burden off him, for his sigh of relief is evident however brief and _choked_ it is, like he's about to cry – oh _god_ , how much pain is he actually in? – and he pants heavily. But he doesn't drop his hands, sharing the burden despite his obvious agony.

"T-Thanks," he breathes, and his crooked smile is sincere and the brightest thing in the darkness of the surrounding debris and dust.

Koala tries to smile back, but winces instead under the beam's weight – mother of god how has he held this up for over an _hour_? – and she asks through gritted teeth, "Did you…did you manage to call for help?"

Sabo swallows thickly, shrugging a shoulder as much as he's able to. "Y-yeah...sorta. T-transponder got crushed, so...j-just screamed. Dunno if anyone h-heard..."

 _That explains why his voice is so hoarse,_ Koala thinks. _And the blood running down his chin._

He couldn't have moved without dropping the beam on Koala, unconscious at the time, so he'd had no choice but to stand here and scream for help, and keep screaming, even when his voice was cracking, his throat raw and aching, blood dripping down his chin.

But the worst part, as she watches him cough and suffer, is knowing that _he'd done it for me._

The beam moves again against the rubble.

The teens let out a cry and shift their stances. And then Sabo _screams,_ ragged and broken, as something in his wrist snaps. He ducks his head down and gasps for breath, tears stinging his eyes, and suddenly Koala can care less about the pain in her legs because Sabo is _hurt_ and he's _crying._

 _"Sabo!"_

It takes a moment, and she fears he's gonna pass out right here on his feet, but he slowly lifts his head and smiles at her, blood staining his once white teeth. The sight makes her want to burst into tears herself.

"I'm…I'm o-okay," he says through what she's absolutely certain are held back sobs, and he lowers his head again. "Must've...f-finally snapped...m'wrist...ouch..."

His words are slurring. He's going to pass out, and soon. He can't hold on much longer, and though she despises herself to admit it, neither can she. She could scream for help, but if no one's come even after he's screamed himself hoarse...

 _This might be it. This might be where we die._

The thought terrifies her, but not for the reason one might think.

The beam creaks again ominously. Their legs and arms tremble as they're forced closer to the ground, almost kneeling. If they fall to their knees, it's over. They won't get up again. Koala knows this. And from the terrified hitch in his breath, Sabo knows it too.

 _It can't end like this. We can't die, not here, not like this. There has to be another way out, there_ has _to be._

"...h-h-hey," Sabo whispers suddenly, like he can't raise his voice any higher. He's too weak to do even that. "...Koala...listen..."

She meets his eyes again, biting her bottom lip to keep it from trembling. "What?" she whispers back.

Deep down, she knows what he's going to say; he's sorry, this is all his fault, he should've found another way out, he should've been stronger, better, and _none_ of those things are true because Sabo gives absolutely _everything_ his all, all the time. She knows this better than anyone.

But what comes out of his mouth as tears fall freely down his bloody face, his false smile fading and his mismatched eyes swirling with despair, hopelessness and so many other things that she can't possibly count them all –

"You're - you're m-my best f-freakin' friend."

It's just as bad, if not worse, and it breaks her.

Her face crumples, the tears she's been fighting back spilling over, running down her cheeks and dripping off her chin.

She's known this. She's known for years that he thought of her as his closest friend, along with Hack. The three of them were a trio, the 'Revolutionary Trio' as he'd dubbed them that one time; Koala had hit him while Hack just sat back and laughed.

She _knows_ this.

But to hear him say it out loud, now of all times...

It hurts to do it, and it's probably a very stupid thing to do when they're seconds from getting crushed, but Koala shuffles forwards, bearing the weight of the beam, until she's inches from Sabo. He's still crying, head lowered, eyes squeezed shut, teeth grinding to hold back the worst of his terrified whimpers.

She leans forward that little bit more, and her forehead presses against his, auburn and gold meeting in the middle.

He stiffens, and then slowly looks up to meet her eyes. She smiles through the pouring tears, lower lip wobbling.

 _I know. Thank you._

This must undo him that little bit more as more tears fall, and he presses his head against hers. A plea to stay where she is, one she's more than happy to comply with.

So they stay like this, two revolutionaries, two scared teenagers, crying as they wait for the inevitable, wincing and whimpering as the beam presses down that little bit more.

 _This is it, this is the end. We're gonna die here._

 _But…at least we're not alone._

Koala lowers her head, listening to Sabo's hitched breaths as he struggles to stay awake, standing. A part of her wants to tell him it's okay. He can rest now. It'll be over soon. But...

Then he gasps suddenly, head snapping up and his eyes wide, irises a glowing red sheen with what Koala recognises as Observation Haki. His head slowly turns to his left, though there's nothing to see beyond the barricade of stone that encases them.

Yet...

"...Hack?" he whispers.

Koala gasps. Is he serious? Is he delusional with pain? No, his eyes are alert, more than they've been in the last few minutes, even if they're still streaming with tears. They look _hopeful_ –

And then he's screaming again, his voice cracking and ringing in Koala's ears. Blood drips down his chin as his ragged voice tears his throat a new one.

"HACK! HACK WE'RE DOWN HERE! DOWN HERE HELP US PLEASE! **_HAAAACK!"_**

She has half a mind to tell him to stop, that it's no use if nobody heard him the first time, when suddenly, beyond their entrapment –

" _Sabo?!"_

 _Oh my god it's Hack. He tracked us down._

And now Koala's screaming with him, her voice much stronger and louder than Sabo's, and just as desperate. The beam shifts once more, leaving them dangerously close to kneeling, and they scream louder, letting sobs slip through as they beg and plead for Hack to _hurry._

The wall on her right shifts, almost destabilizing the whole structure, and then Hack is there, white-faced and horrified, chest heaving. It's the greatest thing Koala has ever seen.

"Brats!" he cries.

A few more faces pop up from behind him - Iva, Inazuma, several others. They'd been at the docks, taking care of the shipment. They must've come all this way when they realized two of their youngest members hadn't reported in. They've all come for them.

 _Thank god._

"H-Hack get us outta h-here!" Sabo stammers, tears mixing with the blood on his face as his whole body trembles. He's at his limit. He can't keep this up anymore.

And with horror, she realizes he's _dying._

"Hurry Hack please!" Koala cries frantically, "get this beam off Sabo, he's _dying,_ _ **hurry!**_ "

Hack doesn't waste any more time ducking under the beam and slamming his palms alongside theirs. He's much stronger, no injuries holding him back, and his muscles bulge under his brown jacket as he pushes, harder and harder until he's standing upright. The entire structure starts to crumble, and Koala knows they have only seconds.

Sabo lets out an agonized _scream_ as he's freed from the weight of the beam,and he crumples to the ground in a heap, panting fast and heavy, exhausted.

It's all Koala can do to ignore her own pain and lean down, locking her arms around his waist and _tugging_ him through the hole Hack made, no time for tenderness. Hands are on her, helping her and Sabo through, and suddenly there's a _boom_ as the structure collapses, brick and metal tumbling down where she and Sabo had been seconds earlier. Hack emerges from the cloud of dust and soot unscathed; coughing profusely that he might bring up a lung, but unscathed.

Koala falls to her knees beside Sabo, gasping for breath, trembling all over. Her arms are too weak to hold her up and she topples to the floor on her side, still gasping. Movement flurries all around her, but she pays it no mind for now and lets herself close her eyes, just for a moment, thanking whatever god is out there listening.

They made it. They're alive. They're saved, they're gonna be okay.

She smiles, a delirious thing, against the concrete that's blessedly cool against her dust-caked cheek.

They can rest now.

"Sabo? Sabo, can you hear me?!"

Koala freezes.

She finds the strength to sit up even as her arms scream in protest. She almost collapses a second time until Hack's webbed hands are on her shoulders, supporting her. Her head spinning, she looks over at where Sabo has been rolled onto his back, Selma, one of the doctors on standby, shaking him and calling out to him, pressing her fingers against his throat.

It's the first she's seen him in the light, and the sight of him makes her stomach churn.

He's unconscious. White as a sheet, covered in dust and blood and sweat, limp as a puppet without strings as Selma tries and fails to rouse him –

"...Sabo?" She whispers. Hack's hands tighten on her shoulders, and for the first time in all her years knowing him, the steady hands that trained her _tremble._

No. He can't be. He _can't._

Selma looks up, her face ashen. "He's not breathing!"

Koala's world opens up beneath her and swallows her whole.

* * *

 _Beep…beep…beep…_

Sabo wakes up to the steady beep of a heart monitor. It's worrying how often he's in the infirmary that the sound barely surprises him anymore.

What _does_ surprise him is just how much _pain he's_ in, all over – his fingers and wrists ache, his spine and his legs are _screaming_ at him, and his throat burns. He feels like garbage, so can only imagine what he must look like.

He cracks his eyes open little by little, relieved when his retinas aren't seared by any bright lights; they've been dimmed to something tolerable. How considerate. His vision is a blur at first, colors and shapes indistinct and nauseating, until he blinks a few times and takes a deep breath, though it stings something awful when he breathes a bit _too_ deep.

What scares him just a bit is the gap in his memory. Why the hell is he here again? Who beat him to hell and back _this_ time?

 _Take it easy. Look around, gather info._

The first thing he notes is that he's smothered in blankets and pillows, the comfy ones from his bedroom (and bandages, no surprise there) and he's alone. But if the book and lukewarm tea on the bedside table and the blankets pooling over the wooden chair on his left tell him anything, it's that he hasn't been alone for very long. The book must be Hack's; he's always been a sucker for cheesy spy novels.

He doesn't notice the familiar newsboy cap on his lap right away, but when he does, he smiles softly.

Then he freezes.

Everything comes rushing back and leaves him breathless.

 _Koala._

 _The building._

 _Oh god where is she?_

Sabo is already halfway up, jostling the wires, heartbeat increasing as he struggles to sit up the rest of the way. He makes to rip himself from the machines he's hooked up to and crawl through the halls if his legs refuse to work, and _screw_ his spine, because he needs to find her, he'd passed out before he had the chance to make sure she was okay, she _has_ to be okay _she_ _ **has**_ _to she's his best friend she's_ _ **everything**_ _to –_

The door creaks open _._

His head snaps up, his chest heaving with exhaustion – the act of _sitting up_ had _exhausted_ him – and he meets startled, red-rimmed blue eyes that are a shade lighter than his own and the most beautiful he's seen.

Koala stares, frozen in the doorway.

A sigh rushes out of Sabo, the relief so great it leaves him boneless.

 _"Koala."_

It's all it takes to snap her out of her trance.

She drops the book in her hands and rushes Sabo, colliding with him and sending them both hurtling back on the bed. Sabo grunts, winded, but doesn't care as Koala's toned arms encase him in a fierce embrace, one he returns, burying his face into the curls of her auburn hair.

She's shaking terribly, and Sabo can feel his shirt growing damp as she cries into his shoulder. He lets her, can't even bring himself to make a jab because he's crying just as hard into her hair, holding each other so tight they might suffocate.

But all he can think as he squeezed her tighter and tighter is _thank god thank god thank god I didn't lose you I did it I saved you you saved me we saved each other thank god -_

 _"Idiot,"_ Koala curses vehemently through her sobs, unwrapping one arm to thump him on the chest. It doesn't even tickle, so he knows she's holding back. " _Why_ did you do that? W-why do you _always_ have to be so _stupid_ and _reckless_ you could've died you dumb idiot _moron I_ _ **hate**_ _you –"_

"Y-Y-You're my f-friend, Koala," his voice cracks in so many places it's like puberty all over again, and talking makes his throat burn wrathfully, but he keeps going. She needs to hear this.

"I-I did b-because you're my...you're my best friend. I-I'd rather d-die than lose you." More tears leak down before he can stop himself, and he squeezes her tighter. "D-Don't care if I get hurt, don't care if I die, you -"

 ** _"I care!"_** she all but shrieks, pulling back and glaring at him, blue eyes swirling with rage, hurt, fear. All Sabo can do is stare at her, eyes blown wide. She grabs him by the shoulders and shakes him, not hard but not exactly gentle either.

" _I_ care if you get hurt," she cries, tears falling from her eyes and dripping onto Sabo's slackened face, " _I_ care if you die, _I_ care if you end up in a coma for a week because you nearly killed yourself protecting _me – we_ _ **all**_ _care about you, Sabo!_ You're a goddamn _idiot_ if you think otherwise!"

Sabo blinks at her. Her chest and shoulders heave, angry pants and searing eyes still dripping with tears.

"K-Koala..."

She sniffs once, letting go of him to swipe an arm over her damp face. When she raises her eyes to his once more, her glare has eased, but the fear is still there, along with a tinge of self-loathing that Sabo half thinks _he_ put there.

"You're _my_ partner, too, Sabo," she says, decibels softer than he's ever heard her. "You're...you're _my_ best friend, too. And – And I get it; you don't wanna to lose me...but I can't lose you either. Not over something like this, not for anything. So don't you **_dare_** think my life is worth more than yours, or pull stupid crap like this –" she gestures his bedridden self with a wave of her hand "– and not expect me to be pissed as hell, or not do the same for you if it comes down to it."

Sabo bristles, reaching up for her shoulder and holding it fast. "N-no, no way. N-not letting you g-get hurt –"

"You have _my_ back," she cuts in ruthlessly, pinning him with another glare that all but _dares_ him to argue with her a second time, "and I have yours. We're partners, _friends,_ that's how this _works,_ Sabo. That goes for Hack, too; he's already agreed to the terms."

 _"Terms?"_

"And Dragon is backing me up."

 _"Dragon?"_

"What do you honestly expect? You _scared_ us, Sabo. All of us." Her gaze softens, and she leans back down, her head resting on his chest, ear over his beating heart, arms around his waist. She closes her eyes. "...you scared _me_ ," she whispers. "I know it's a dumb thing to say after everything _I've_ just said, but…don't ever do that again."

Sabo watches her, still thrown by everything she's said. Well, he _knows_ she cares about him, always has. But still, to hear it out loud, tears in her eyes and fear (anger, frustration, confusion) in her voice...well...it's not something he wakes up to often, or ever expects to. They've never _had_ to.

Until Sabo thought they were going to die in a decimated warehouse...

He lifts his aching arms to hold her close, fingers clutching the fabric of her shirt. He closes his eyes, turning his nose into her hair. "...'m sorry," he mumbles, words slurring together. "...didn't mean t' scare you. Jus' wanted...t' pr'tect you."

He frowns, remembering how close they'd been to dying, because Sabo hadn't been strong enough to keep the beam up, throw it away like Hack or Kuma could've. "…wasn't strong enough...sorry."

"Shut up," Koala pinches him, and he yelps in surprise rather than pain – she's still holding back. "You were beaten to hell and you'd been holding that thing for an _hour_ by the time I woke up. You're plenty strong to me." She shuffles a little, settling underneath the multitude of blankets with him. Others would've been flustered, flapping about like an idiot, but Sabo doesn't bat much of an eye, and wraps his arms around her again. This isn't the first time they've shared a bed, and Sabo is sure, after this, it won't be the last.

His forehead meets hers again, and it calms him as it did under the rubble pressing on them. "S-Still," he whispers, fighting against the sudden fatigue that threatens to pull him back under, "I s-should've tried harder. I-I -"

"Don't beat yourself up," Koala says through a yawn, her eyes shut, nestling closer. "That's _my_ job. I'm gonna stick around, make sure you don't wander off like you always do, 'cos you're an idiot who can't sit his ass down and heal like a normal person."

Sabo smiles a little. "D-Do I get a s-say in this?" he asks, even though his arms locked around her waist speak otherwise.

"No. Go back to sleep."

After a moment, her breathing evens out. Her fingers clench the front of his shirt in a death grip.

Sabo stares at her for a moment longer – assuring himself that she's _here,_ that she's alive, they're both _alive_ – before letting his eyes slip shut, sending a silent vow to her, to the heavens, that this won't happen again. He'll get stronger, strong enough to protect everything and everyone he cares about.

He won't lose anyone. He _won't._ Not ever.

"...Sabo."

"Hm?"

"Loosen up. I can't breathe."

Sabo grins.

* * *

When Hack returns to the infirmary two hours later to swap with Koala on 'Sabo Watch' – it truly is a sad day when they have names for situations like this – a new mug of coffee in his webbed hand, he opens the door and pauses in the doorway, finding the red-head tucked up against the blond in the bed, arms locked around each other in a grip Hack couldn't break if he tried.

They look peaceful, more than either of them has in the last few days since Sabo lost consciousness.

(The fishman swears he'll never forget that moment, that agonizing five minutes in which Sabo wasn't breathing, for as long as he lives. Koala's pleading cries still echo in his ears even now.)

But as he watches them, those nightmarish thoughts ebb and ease as he smiles despite himself. These brats are gonna be the end of him, he's sure of it.

(It's a sad day when he finds he doesn't really mind at all.)

He reaches out and tucks the blanket snugly around their shoulders, ruffling Sabo's hair (carefully, there's a(nother) bump somewhere under that mass of curls) and takes his seat on the chair at their bedside. He opens his book on the folded page and picks up where he left off, the kid's soft breaths and the quiet flickering of the candle flame a soothing ambience in the otherwise quiet room.

* * *

 **A/N~ I love this trio so much. A little family :))))) Thanks for reading, and more are on the way!  
**

 **Reviews are writer chow :3**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hellooooooooo!**

 **Sorry for the lack of updates in general, I promise they're still coming XD I've been sick a lot these past few months and busy on top of that, so writing is getting tricky. But I haven't forgotten my stories OR my amazing readers, so I decided to upload this one that I've had in my drafts for ages.**

 **This one was fun to do, because we've hardly seen Sabo's breakdown from anyone's perspective but his own. Also, because I love these three so much and they don't have NEARLY as much screen/page time as other characters do, I went ahead and expanded on stuff because fanfiction is a gateway to endless possibilities XD**

 **I OWN NOTHING!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Part 5**

"...and Fire Fist Ace."

Koala doesn't notice the change in her partner immediately.

She's too busy reading (and re-reading and _re-reading)_ the paper in her hands, still reeling over the fact they'd missed a freaking _war_ between the Navy and the Whitebeard's. Hack's impressive height looms over to peer over her shoulder.

She has to skim through droves of paragraphs of what are the media's obvious attempts at praising, glorifying, kissing the asses of the Marines for battling so valiantly against the fearsome armada of pirates, but she's no less shocked by what she sees, what this all means for them, the whole _world._

Whitebeard, the strongest man in the world, is _dead?_ Dragon has a **_son,_** and it's one of the new Supernovas, _Monkey D. freaking Luffy?!_ What are the odds of _that?!_ And this Fire Fist Ace…he was _Gold Roger's –?_

Something slams on the table nearby. Koala flinches, startled, and she spins on her heel.

It's Sabo, barely standing, gloved hands braced on the table a few feet from her and Hack. His eyes are wide, _impossibly_ wide, sweat trickling down his rapidly paling face as he stares at the grinning face of the dead pirate, Fire Fist. He's breathing hard, trembling all over.

Koala stares, confused and more than a little worried. Beside her, Hack's brows furrow as he takes half a step closer. What on earth...?

"Sabo? What's wrong?" Koala asks, casting her paper aside. "You're acting strange." _Stranger than usual,_ she almost adds, a playful jab out of many between the two of them, but it dies before it passes her lips as she watches her partner closely. Hack's breath catches, as does hers, because –

Tears are dripping from Sabo's eyes, dampening the paper. His shaking gets _worse,_ and he's almost sobbing as he struggles to take a breath, like he's drowning –

And what jars her most of all is the look on his face – the _pain,_ the _fear_ , the denial and confusion...as if part of him is wondering _why_ he's crying, why this is happening to him, _who is this person...?_

She's never seen him like this. Never, in all their years together, has Sabo looked so _lost_ , so distraught, so…so…

 _Oh god, what's happening to him?_

The others in the room are still talking among themselves, about the horrible battle that took place at Navy HQ, completely unaware of the state their chief is in. Koala catches something about Akainu – the Admiral punching a _hole_ through Ace's chest, the blow that had slowly but eventually killed him – it's _sickening_ , upsetting, and she has half a mind to shout at them to shut the hell up.

But Sabo hears it, and he _curls_ into himself, vulnerable and hurt and _agonized,_ one hand clutching and clawing at the fabric of his shirt like _he's_ the one burning from the inside out, teeth grinding to stifle the worst of his pain. And he's still crying.

 _What's going on? A panic attack?_ she thinks, resisting the urge to reach out and touch him if her hunch is right; he's had them before, many of them, and until he's coherent enough to consent to physical contact, his reactions vary from violent to caged animal terrified.

But this isn't that, she soon realizes. This isn't triggered by any horrific image he might've seen in the paper – there are only two on the front page; Whitebeard's destroyed, bloodied but standing body amidst the chaos of the battlefield, and Ace's grinning, determined face – this looks _worse,_ like his soul is being ripped from his very body, like his brain is bursting through his splitting skull –

Koala freezes.

 _His brain._

Understanding dawns on her, and her hand flies to her mouth in horror. It's like that time with the lullaby, and a few other times after; splitting headaches, temporary paralysis, blackouts, emotional breakdowns…

He's…he's _remembering_. Something has kick-started his memory, hard enough to produce such a deep, gut-wrenching response from her partner that's literally splitting his skull from the inside out. His eyes have yet to leave the picture, now soaked with his tears and sweat, which can only mean –

 _Oh…oh no. Don't tell me –_

Sabo staggers, and there's a definite sob this time that breaks her heart in two as he slams his hands and then his forehead against the table, crumpling the grinning freckled face beneath. Blood leaks from a tiny cut, and a bruise quickly forms. Everyone's looking now as their Chief of Staff clutches the wooden desk hard enough to splinter it under his unnaturally strong fingers.

" _Sabo?!_ What's wrong?!" Hack cries, others murmuring among themselves, wondering what to do, what to say, is Sabo alright, what's going on? Koala doesn't move, can't move, as Sabo's breathing grows harsh and heavy, the tears falling faster. She can feel Dragon's eyes on them, and has half a mind to call him over, quickly, before –

Sabo throws his head back and _screams,_ papers flying everywhere, his broken cries echoing in the halls, in her ears, spurring her forward –

 _"Sabo!"_ she and Hack shout, and they lunge for him as he falls backwards, tear-filled eyes blank but _horrified,_ _ **heartbroken –**_

They miss by a hair. Sabo is unconscious before the back of his head even hits the ground.

* * *

For the next twenty-four hours, Sabo sleeps. But he's not peaceful.

His forehead drips with sweat, his fever skyrocketing at a degree that _should_ kill a man, his body spasming and twitching uncontrollably under the thick sheets of the infirmary bed; he cries out and whimpers through his clenched teeth, trapped in his own mind, trapped in his nightmares with no way out.

Nothing the doctors do reaches him; they can stabilize him, but nothing more. Not Koala, Hack – not even Dragon can get through to their second in command in this state. All they can do is wait, monitor him – in case of a relapse, in case all of his jerking and moaning leads to something worse like a seizure, and pray he wakes soon.

Sitting at his bedside (not for the first time and certainly not the last if she can help it) Koala watches over him, sweat trickling from his feverish forehead. She wrings out a cloth from the bowl, folds it longways and carefully lays it across his brow. After a moment he relaxes, only a little, brows not pinching together quite as hard. In the dim orange light of the candle on the bedside table, he almost looks better.

His eyes don't open even a little bit.

Koala sighs, reaching for the limp hand not attached to an IV and squeezing it, running her thumb across the calloused skin of his pale knuckles. She's never seen him like this. He has nightmares, they all have, and still do. They have moments, when everything is just _too much_ to handle and can't help but break just a little _..._ but what she saw just a few hours ago...

Sabo had looked like he was in _pain,_ a searing pain so deep words can't truly describe it, sobbing, _screaming_ over the death of a pirate he only knew by name.

...Or did he?

It was certainly Ace's picture that had triggered the attack, jolted something in his brain like a light switch (more like a bullet through the forehead with the way he'd _howled)._ Maybe the pirate and Sabo were connected in some way. What if...what if Fire Fist and Sabo...?

The hand she's holding in hers twitches. Its owner lets out a whimper followed by a strangled groan of agony.

Koala is out of her chair in an instant, reaching for Sabo's other shoulder to keep him pinned down to the bed when he suddenly _lurches_ with a guttural cry, fighting her as he thrashes under the bedsheets. He's still unconscious, entombed in the walls his mind has caged him in, but he's _screaming_ again, bare, clenched fists flying to strike an enemy she can't see, a fist she barely dodges before she catches his wrist in a grip that's almost painful, straddling him so that he _stays down._

Shecan't let him hurt himself, can't let him suffer like this alone, can't bear to see him like this.

"Sabo, Sabo it's okay!" she calls over his anguished screams, and there's more tears leaking through his eyelids, his teeth grinding as he fights her, trying to throw her off him, but dammit _she's not going anywhere._

She leans down, her forehead meeting his, auburn and tangled gold mingling in the middle. Sabo goes still. He's breathing hard, tears still dripping down his scarred face though his eyes are screwed shut, but he's not thrashing, not fighting against the familiar, reassuring touch. It surprises her, his sudden compliance, and yet it doesn't. This has never failed to put Sabo at ease, the press of her forehead against his, a stern command that shouts ' _calm down' a_ nd heartfelt assurance that whispers ' _I'm here.'_

It's never failed to calm him, not even in their pre-teens, long before the incident under the rubble that left them apprehensive of low ceilings for a good while. Koala wonders now, if it has less to do with her, and more to do with the forgotten shadows of his memories...

She shakes those thoughts away for now, closing her eyes as she releases her crushing grip on his wrist, laying her cool palm against his hot, damp cheek instead as his heavy breaths hiss through clenched teeth. "Sabo, it's me, Koala. Your partner and your best friend," she whispers, praying he can hear her somewhere in the confines of his nightmares. "You're in the infirmary, and you're _safe._ No one is going to hurt you here. I _swear_ it."

(Sabo shifts just a little. She's almost _positive_ he's leaning into her touch.)

She continues this for a while, whispering to him, stroking his endearing mess of golden bed hair, and time becomes a dull blur. Eventually she's confident enough to ease off him and let him go, sitting back in her chair. His tears have stopped, dried against his clammy skin, but his pained moans are yet to abate, the crease between his sweat-caked brow a near permanent thing. She replaces the rag across his brow, which had fallen to lip lap during his episode.

She's drawing away again when Sabo's hand suddenly lashes out.

She's prepared for another fist – what she gets is almost worse.

Sabo's hand crushes her fingers in his palm in a grip that's desperate as it is painful. She freezes, looking at their joined hands before her eyes rise to watch his face; he bites his wobbling lower lip, head turning in his pillow to face her, or her general direction. Another tear leaks through, with it following a broken whisper, the first she's heard him speak since this morning –

"…hurts...h'lp, hurts, K'ala, _hurts…"_

And it _breaks_ her. He's sleeping, delirious with pain, and he's calling out for _her._

A stinging wetness building behind her eyes, Koala's hand shifts in his until its wrapped firmly around the young man's in a grip that rivals his, her other hand coming up to trap it and hold it fast. "I'm here," she says, though a part of her knows he can't hear her or see her, but he can _feel_ her and that's enough. More than enough, for now.

She squeezes his hand tighter.

The world is in chaos, picking up the pieces left in the rubble of a great war, and work that must be done on their part. But for now, Koala's place is right here, right now, with her partner and best friend, holding his hand at his bedside, just like always. "I'm here, Sabo. I'm right here."

And when Hack joins them minutes later, a mug of steaming tea in one hand and a thick quilt for her under the other arm, their little band is complete.

They're right where they need to be.

* * *

Day two, and Sabo's still asleep. It's a minor relief that they can actually call it _sleep_ , though it still seems nothing like it, but he's not conscious yet after nearly 48 hours, and _that's_ the issue.

Hack watches the boy twitch, watches him frown and squirm and mutter nonsense under his breath as the fishman leans over and lays a fresh cloth over his forehead again.

His own frown deepens in thought and concern as he draws his hands back, clenching them on his lap. It's all he can do, it seems; watching him, monitoring vitals, replacing cloths, checking his temperature...for a fishman karate master, he certainly feels quite useless right now, sitting on his scaly ass doing nothing but _watching_.

Hack sits back in his chair and sighs, running a webbed hand down his face. He sends the sleeping human a weak glare. "You're still such a damn hassle even in your sleep, you know that?" he says without heat. "Making Koala worry nonstop, question if she's doing enough to help you. If any of us are doing enough to help you." He runs a hand through his hair, and he half swears he'll be collecting clumps of it soon. "The doctors say you're recovering. From what, well, that's a mystery. Then again, you've always been a mystery to us, kid, and not the fun kind, I might add."

This would be the part where Sabo would look up at Hack from the bed and cast a cheeky grin, dishing out another witty quip in response to Hack's exasperation. Instead, the boy is silent, or more than he has been these last hours; his whimpering has calmed, though he's still tossing and turning, sweating and twitching; just what the hell is he dreaming about?

"No one really knows what's wrong with you," Hack mutters, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "Koala has an idea, though. Says something about that poor lad, Ace, that somehow kick-started your memory in one helluva way. Now…now the rest of you is trying to catch up on what you lost. And to do that, your brain decided to put you out of commission for a while. For how long that 'while' is going to last is anyone's guess."

Silence.

The fishman sighs again, shaking his head. Talking to someone who won't talk back is almost as infuriating as this entire ordeal.

He'll never truly admit it, would rather chew off his own foot than do it out loud, but over the years, Sabo has grown on him in ways no other human but Koala has.

He respects Dragon, incredibly so, and tolerates Ivankov and all his eccentrics, and gets along well with everyone else in general. But this sleeping brat before him, and his partner currently making grooves in the floor with her pacing as she waits for him to wake…well…

Ah dammit, who is he kidding? He _cares_ about the reckless little bastard, who worked his way through the ranks to become his chief, the cheeky little brat he'd helped raise from an amnesiac half-pint to a roaring, raging dragon with the claws to match his incredible bite. He'd watched Sabo as he trained, learned, grew, lived and saved lives and toppled governments, watched him smile through his burning rage and laugh through his tears, offer a hand to hold and a shoulder to lean on, and let himself lean on others…

(He _loves_ the brat. He loves both of them, like they're his own brats. Seeing Sabo in such pain, agony he's never seen…and being forced to _sit_ and wait it out, not knowing if he'll wake up at all...it's driving him to the brink of madness.)

Despite himself, he reaches out and lays a hand on Sabo's curls, feeling the unhealthy warmth underneath the mass of it. Sabo's brows pinch briefly at his touch, and then he's suddenly leaning into the massive, webbed palm, letting out the faintest sigh of relief. His body goes limp, relaxed, and the pain etched in his features gives way just a little.

Hack is, for lack of a better term, _shook._

Something stings behind his eyes. Must be sweat, it _is_ a little hot in here. Hell, is there dust in the air? He can't stop sniffling. What's going on here?

Someone roughly clears their throat at the door. Hack whirls in his chair, and Dragon is there, leaning against the door-frame in all his mysterious, cloaked splendor. There's a tilt to his lips that might just be a smile, and now knowing what he does, Hack absently thinks his son looks _nothing_ like him and yet…there might be _something_ , maybe his eyes.

"It seems the rumors are true after all," Dragon says, sweeping into the room to stand beside the baffled fishman, though his eyes are trained on Sabo's prone form on the bed. It might be a trick of the light, but Hack thinks he sees, for a moment, a hint of concern or fondness in the stoic man's gaze.

Disregarding that for now, Hack blinks at him. "What rumors?"

Dragon just looks at him from the corner of his tattooed eye. "You're going soft, my friend."

Hack splutters – "Who the hell said that?! Me, _soft_?! Who's spreading lies – wait till I get my hands on the little bastard –!"

Dragon chuckles. "I would strongly advise that you wait until he's at least conscious before attempting murder." He inclines his head at the twenty-year-old on the bed, and Hack's hackles lower just a bit. Doesn't mean he's not fuming, though; little brat, spewing lies everywhere. And _why_ are his eyes still stinging? He should call the cleaners, dust in the infirmary is no good to anyone.

A firm hand claps him on the shoulder once. "Go. Take a break. I'll watch over him for a while."

Hack quirks a brow. "You sure? You've been pretty busy these last two days –"

"And I'll be busy a few days more, and a long time after. But I can spare a moment for my right hand, surely." He pats Hack on the shoulder again, switching his gaze to the sleeping blond. "Go, Hack. Rest for now. Koala will be along soon enough, I'm sure. If there's any change, I'll be sure to let you both know."

Eventually, Hack relents and gives up his seat for his leader, and heads for the door. Just before he slips into the hallway, he risks a glance over his shoulder at the man who fathered the boy who might be king, who caused a storm and gathered many to ride it with him in pursuit of freedom, and watches him as he looks down at the boy he'd saved, raised, trained and chose to stand with him at his right hand.

Dragon reaches out to sweep a stray strand of curly blond hair from Sabo's feverish face before leaning back again, arms folded into his cloak.

Hack blinks in surprise, and then feels a slow smile grow across his bearded face. _I'm not the one going soft,_ he muses, and then leaves his leader and chief in peace.

(He's _absolutely_ going to tell Koala about this, toilet duty be damned.)

* * *

Nearing the end of day three, Sabo starts to wake up.

Koala screams for Hack, and the fishman comes running with one of their colleagues whom he'd been in conversation with just outside the infirmary. They all crowd around the bed, Koala gripping Sabo's hand tightly and running her thumb across his knuckles. He looks spades better; his complexion has regained its natural tan, his temperature broken, and all traces of grief and agony are gone from his face – he looks peaceful, even as his nose scrunches in that way of his when he doesn't wanna wake up but knows he _has_ to. After three days, he _really freaking_ has to.

"Come on, Bo _,_ " she whispers as they all draw closer, and she squeezes his hand a little more, "time to wake up. Come on, partner."

Sabo's brow twitches just once more, and then his eyes pry themselves open, blinking rapidly in the light of the infirmary. His mismatched blue and grey take in the three faces hovering over him.

"…bugh?"

Koala feels tears prick her eyes as she beams down at him. Beside her, Hack huffs something dangerously close to a relieved sigh as their comrade runs out the door to tell everyone the great news.

Sabo's awake. He's _finally_ awake.

Reluctantly letting go of his hand and sitting back in her chair, Sabo slowly heaves himself upright, gold curls a mess, a hand pressing against his temple as he shakes the remnants of sleep away. He looks okay. He's really okay. After three straight days of restlessness and pain and screaming and nightmares and – and – and–

And she is _so_ **_mad_** _at him._

Sabo blinks, turning his head to face her, no doubt sensing the spark of her anger with his fuzzy Haki. Despite this, warmth leaks down her cheeks, a dampness she doesn't bother to wipe away.

She knows she's crying, and more so when she sees the _'oh holy dragon shite I've messed up'_ look on his face as he rears back just a little in the bed. She knows she's crying, messily too, something she never usually allows – old habits refuse to die – but she doesn't _care._ She's angry, and maybe it's not as justified as she wants it to be, but –

"I thought you were gonna die _Sabo_ ~!" she wails, sniffling and scrubbing the tears from her eyes in a failed attempt to permanently rid them. Sabo stares at her, looking torn between comforting her or trying to get as far away from her as possible before she can wring his little neck. She's half tempted to do so, if only because he'd worried the hell out of _everyone_ for _three freaking days…_

"You had quite a high fever, Sabo," Hack says then, his own gruff way of showing he's worried, too. Sabo only has a moment to spare their fishman companion a glance before Koala decides _screw it,_ and leaps at him.

She feels him jolt in surprise (maybe even fear) as she buries her face into the folds of the blanket covering his lap. She pounds her fists against his leg and hip like a drum, hearing him wince with every hit despite her efforts to hold back – well, hold back a _little_. "You've been sleeping three straight days!" she cries. " _And I've been worryiiiiing~!"_

(Now, this might seem a little dramatic, even for her, even if it's just another day where Sabo overdoes it and leaves them watching over him for the nth time in the infirmary. And if this was one of those days, she really would cuff him upside the head and lambast him up and down for being a reckless dumb-ass. Again.

But this isn't one of those days. Not with the way he'd broken down, the way he _screamed_ and thrashed and fought and cried in his sleep for two days, the way his fever spiked irregularly to the point they feared he might die during the night, keeping her awake at his bedside _praying_ she didn't lose another friend to an enemy she couldn't hope to defeat.

So she's earned the right to cry and wail dramatically over her bedridden partner. She's earned the right to sock him in the jaw as soon as he's cleared to move around, and then squeeze the life from him in her arms when she's done pounding him. Hack has earned the right to knock him on his ass during training and maybe ruffle his hair and smirk at him after. They've all earned the right to shower him with rage and worry because he'd _scared the hell out of them_ –)

She feels a hand on her head, fingers in her hair. She looks up, eyes streaming, and she finds his lips quirked in that lopsided smile of his, brows pinched; _'I'm sorry',_ it says, and the tilt of his head asks for forgiveness, even though there really isn't much to forgive in the first place.

So she leans back, placing her hand over the one he has in her hair, and offers a shaky smile in return; _'Of course',_ it says. On her right, Hack watches the exchange with a smile you'd have to squint to see underneath his beard, but it's there nonetheless.

Sabo is okay. It took three days, but he's awake, lucid, and well on the way to recovery no doubt. That's all Koala can ask for.

Then Sabo's smile fades, and something else takes over – the pinch between his brow returns, shadows of something deep and painful coming with it. His hand slides from Koala's hair and flops back onto his lap as he stares at his clenching fists. Koala feels worry seep into her anew as she watches his shoulders tense, jaw locking.

"Sabo…?"

Sabo squeezes his eyes shut and takes a breath; it shudders out of him. "…Koala, Hack," he says, his voice a little ragged from his screaming and general lack of use, "there's something I need to tell you."

He lifts his eyes to meet hers – and they're _different,_ she realizes _._ In three days, in his sleep no less, the Sabo she's known has _changed._

"…I remember now," he says. "I remember _everything."_

* * *

 **A/N~ oh Sabo, you poor bbyyyyy :(  
**

 **Btw, from now on, none of these are gonna be in any particular order; I was gonna try and do that, but my brain got impatient XD Please don't hesitate to hit me up on requests on what you'd like to see these three Revs get into next!**

 **Reviews are writer chow :3**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N~ Hello, all! This is just a small thing I needed to get out of my head (a warm up for writing other things I suppose? XD) It's nothing but crack, I assure you, but something I like to think Sabo would absolutely do if given the chance.**

 **I call it Three Times Sabo was the Dad and 1 Time He Wasn't.**

 **I OWN NOTHING. ESPECIALLY NOT THE CLIPS/GAMES/VINES THESE WERE BASED OFF.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Part 6**

(1)

"...and then she says, I swear on my life, she says – 'if you're gonna say something, say it with doughnuts'!"

Sabo blinks the same time Koala does, both freezing in the doorway to the intel department, reports (finished and/or otherwise) in hand. He's pretty sure they've walked in on the end of a good story, if the bouts of laughter from three of their colleagues are anything to go by. No point in egging them for an explanation, but still – "Say it with doughnuts?" he parrots, bewildered, to Koala.

The older woman shrugs, carrying on towards Elric's desk and expecting Sabo to follow. "Probably a dumb joke about how you should always apologize with food," she says, handing her reports to Elric who smiles and nods in greeting, repeating the gesture with Sabo. She slides a sly grin at the taller blond – "Bet you'd fit right in that category," she adds.

Elric snorts a laugh, and Sabo pouts but doesn't dispute the fact. She knows he won't and skips on ahead back the way they came to the mess hall. Still pouting, Sabo follows her.

It's only later when the three of them – Hack never fails to sit at least one meal with the younger two, book in hand begging to be snatched and read aloud by a certain blond, punishment be damned – are finishing up their dinner that Sabo musters an appropriate retort. He grins, wholly wicked and pleased. "Koala, Hack."

They lift their heads. "Hmm?" they chorus, only to instantly regret even acknowledging him at the sight of his smile. Koala sighs, a heavy thing from her soul that Sabo can feel. " _What,_ Sabo?" she drawls.

Sabo makes a show of straightening his cravat and hat, building non-existent tension. Despite themselves, his little audience leans in. Unbeknownst to all, Dragon sweeps into the room's dwindling crowds with silent grace when the blond asks – "Do you know what _I_ like to say with donuts?"

Koala rolls her eyes and Hack looks between them, confused. "What?"

He draws a breath, stands up, spreads his arms – _"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"_

 _Silence._ Those that remain in the mess hall turn to stare at their table, eyes drawn to the beaming nineteen-year-old.

Then Koala bursts into gales of heaving laughter. Hack (and others who'd caught the tail-end of the joke) facepalm and shake their heads with reluctant grins they fail to hide.

Gasping, Koala reaches for Sabo's shirt and shakes him hard. "You – you dumb piece of _crap!"_ she manages through her laughter, tears in her eyes. "I can't believe we breathe the same air, you make so angry!" She lets him go to bend over, supporting herself with her hands on her knees as she wheezes. "I – I hate your guts!"

The boy in question can't keep up the grin and soon follows her lead, tears streaming as they cling to each other for support in their fit of hysterics. Hack, head down and buried in the pages of his book, fails to stifle his own mirth as his shoulders shake with silent laughter.

(At the back of the room, Dragon barely quells a snort behind a polite cough.)

* * *

(2)

Robin feels his approach before she can think to use her powers, and a smile paints her lips. She doesn't look up from her book. "Hello, Sabo."

She hears the young man tutting, though not upset in the slightest. "How'd you know it was me?" he asks; she doesn't need to look to know he's smiling, but she does, and it's wide and full of warm mirth. He's so different and yet so much like his brother – impossible resemblances aside – that it makes the separation easier to bear on bad days.

She smiles in return. "It's been months now, Sabo. I can _feel_ trouble pouring off you," she teases. He pouts in reply, plopping gracelessly into the armchair on her left with a huff and shifting to sit cross-legged (again, so much like her boy captain that it hurts).

"Contrary to popular belief, I'm not _always_ up to something," he mutters. "I can be sensible."

Robin giggles softly and returns to her book, a phantom hand emerging from his shoulder to pat his hat-less head. "Of course you can." She flicks to the next page. Sabo will take no offense, knowing she's listening; a born multitasker, among other things. "What brings you hear, Mr. Chief of Staff?" she probes a moment later, smiling at his chuckle at the title hardly ever used without jest from her. "Hiding from Koala's wrath already? It's only noon."

"No, nothing like that." The armchair creaks a little as he leans forward. "I was just wondering if you'd seen the updog anywhere?"

Robin pauses, frown, looks up and meets the boy's gaze. "Pardon?"

Sabo smiles, and it's impossible to read him. "We've been looking all morning for it," he says, "but we just can't seem to find the updog anywhere. Was wondering if maybe you've come across it at all. So have you?"

Robin blinks, still processing. "...have I...?"

"Seen the updog?" the blond insists, leaning closer.

Robin will curse herself for this later and every time Sabo catches her eye and beams at her for the next week. But now, unwittingly, she asks – "What is 'updog'?"

Sabo _wheezes_ and bursts into gales of laughter, nearly falling out of the chair as he hugs his gut. Only then do the pieces come together and Robin realizes. "Oh good lord," she sighs, pressing her fingers against her temples and a reluctant grin that only has Sabo laughing harder, and then he really does fall out of his chair in a ball of giggles. Eventually the laughter bubbles out of her, too, at the sight of him. "Gracious, Sabo," she says through her own giggles, leaning forward to look at him, "this is the happiest I've seen you today."

Still wheezing, the young man climbs to his knees, grinning _madly._ "I have _never_ in my life," he cries, _"ever_ gotten that to work!"

(If he's managed to get _Nico Robin_ of all people, she can't image why. Then again, Baltigo has housed Sabo for years; they know his tricks and tells, the mischief all to easy to catch.)

He wipes a tear from his eye with a gloved finger, out of breath and flushed with happiness. "Thank you, Robin, thank you so much, holy – _Koala!"_ He stands suddenly and rushes to the door, leaning out and yelling. "Koala, you owe me 200 Bellie!"

Koala's voice, startled and disbelieving, echoes down the hall. " _What?!"_

"I did it! She said it, Robin said it!"

" _No! No you did not, you are LYING!"_

Sabo digs into his pocket and pulls out – oh lord, is that a _Tone Dial?_ "I recorded it! All of it!" he shouts back. A stream of curses answers him, followed by a very familiar laugh that might be Hack's.

Robin gasps, grinning now despite herself. "You fiend of a boy," she says with mock rage. Sabo whirls on her, beams back, and rushes out of the room to collect his prize from a reluctant Fishman Karate instructor. The older woman shakes her head and returns to her book, the smile all but stuck to her face.

(If this is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Sabo's cheek and lightning wit, Robin has no doubt she's in for a ride.)

* * *

(3)

Hey, Koala."

She doesn't even want to look. She just wants to eat her breakfast in relative peace, for a _change._ But the longer she tries to ignore him, the longer he'll pester her until he gets his way. He's selfish like that, always has been, and has yet to find a reason to change.

"Koala. Koala. _Koaaaaaallaaaaa –"_

She sighs, lifts her head and pins him with a look. _"What?"_

He's not grinning, oddly, standing by the open cupboards full of spices, carefully organized in alphabetical order by the head chef whom even Dragon dares not cross on a bad day. He's looking at her hard, as though she's accused him of treacherous deeds...which is not something to even joke about, not in their organization, so she turns in her chair to face him fully. "Sabo...?"

He gestures the open cupboards and their contents. "All these spices," he says, shaking his head at her in a manner that's decidedly exasperated. " _All these spices._ And _you_ choose to be _salty? Really."_

Koala looks at Sabo. Sabo looks at Koala.

" _ **I hate you so much!"**_ She's up before he can blink and then she's punching him repeatedly in the shoulder while he ducks his head and laughs like the loon, the _idiot_ he is. It doesn't help that she's grinning just as hard.

* * *

(+1)

"Sabo."

Pausing mid-step, Sabo turns on one heel as his leader and teacher sweeps through the hallway, cloak billowing behind him with each steady stride. The blond tips his hat once in greeting. "Sir," he says. "Anything amiss?" The older man shakes his head, a shadow of a wry smile quirking his lips, and gestures for Sabo to follow him. Where, only god knows, but he easily falls in step with their leader as they continue down the hall.

They eventually reach Dragon's favored balcony – it's almost funny, now, knowing what they do, but also a comfort sometimes knowing that Sabo's not the only one thinking about Luffy, wherever he is – and Sabo jumps up to sit on the stone railing, looking out into the vast expanse of rocky mountains that shape Baltigo. Wind sweeps through their hair and coats, the silence between them a companionable one; rare moments like these, side by side with his mentor, savior – father, in all the ways his own never was or will be – that Sabo holds dear and close. He wonders if Dragon feels the same, but never dwells too much...

"I've been meaning to speak with you, lad," Dragon says after a moment. Sabo lifts a brow and turns to him, one hand on his hat to keep it from blowing away. Dragon doesn't look at him, eyes trained ahead. "I've never doubted you'd grow into your role as my right hand. But in the last year alone you've exceeded even _my_ expectations. I'm confident, should anything arise that not even we are prepared for, you'll do well in my place as the leader of our army, carry on the battle for freedom."

Sabo, for a moment, feels something clench in his chest, hard enough that he might be reeling from it were he a weaker man. But he's honed his skills, grown stronger now than he was even a year and a half ago, when the news of his brothers tore into him and ripped his soul from his body and rendered him useless – and he's known there might be a day, always has, in which he'll be forced to take the mantel and bury their leader. So this rattles him, but he banishes the ache and smirks, all cheek and no remorse just like always – "Sounds like someone's read to retire," he jests.

Dragon smirks back, just barely. "I'm still breathing, aren't I?" he says. Sabo chuckles, until the mirth in Dragon's eyes abruptly fades. "However...I've been hearing things, lad, that I suppose I should expect from you but still surprise me. As is your habit of doing so."

It really, _really_ is, but Sabo slides off the rail and meets Dragon's hard gaze. "What things?" he asks.

Dragon turns to face him proper, and his height, the hard lines of his ageing face and the bright, angry tattoo along his face make him all the more imposing than he has any right to be; his name and what he stands for is intimidating enough.

Then – "Your incessant Dad Jokes have become the bane of everyone's existence, I hear," he says.

Sabo blinks at him, and with a whoosh of breath he wasn't aware he's been holding, he sighs a laugh and grins hard. "I see. Oh well, can't please everybody," he says with a shrug, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Really though, they should thank me. Dad jokes or no, I'm doing everyone a favor by lifting the mood up in here. If _you_ of all people won't, I might as well take the chance. You're not gonna scold me from stealing your thunder, are you?"

Dragon shakes his head in an attempt to hide the beginnings of a grin as he turns, cloak swishing, to go back inside. "I suppose not," he says. "But even so...spreading jokes like that when you have no children of your own..."

He stops in his tracks. Sabo watches, tilts his head. Dragon looks at him over his shoulder.

"...you could say, you're...a _faux pa."_

Dragon steps inside without looking back, Sabo's hysterical laughter chasing after him all the while.

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed that. I certainly did XD**

 **Reviews are writer chow :3**


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